Medal of Honor: Rising Sun
Medal of Honor: Rising Sun is the 5th installment of the Medal of Honor series, released by Electronic Arts in November 2003. Rising Sun is another first-person shooter, set in World War II during the Pacific War. This game features single-player and multiplayer capabilities (terminated as of November 2006). In the single-player game, the player assumes the role of Cpl./Sgt. Joseph Griffin of the United States Marine Corps. A sequel was originally planned in which players would have assumed the role of Joseph's brother Donnie. However, the sequel was quietly canceled after Rising Sun received poor reviews. Music The award winning soundtrack in Rising Sun was orchestrated by Christopher Lennertz. Michael Giacchino, composer of the soundtrack for Frontline, left to work on the soundtracks of the series Call of Duty, after which Lennertz took over. Lennertz's score received overall positive reviews. A promotional CD soundtrack was released for the game. Digital versions of the soundtrack were also made available and are currently for sale off of music services like iTunes. Characters Main Characters Joseph "Joe" Griffin Introduced in-Day of Infamy A well-liked Marine from Mather, Pennsylvania, Joe is the older brother of Donnie Griffin. Donald "Donnie" Griffin Introduced/Captured in-Fall of the Philippines Revealed to have been rescued in-Medal of Honor: Heroes The athletic and popular younger brother of Joe Griffin, Donnie started proving his heroism at the age of 13 when he saved two children from a house fire. Phillip Bromley Introduced in-Singapore Sling Bromley is an embittered hero, angry at the British government that did not prevent the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in spite of the intelligence he provided them. He works from hiding to sabotage the invaders. Michael Floyd Introduced in-Singapore Sling A soldier from Montana, Floyd is known for his contingency-planning and his ability to focus on detail. Unfortunately, he sometimes loses sight of the big picture. Edmund Harrison Introduced in-Pistol Pete Showdown Killed/saved in-Pistol Pete Showdown Lt. Harrison is an expert at demolition. He was unique among his comrades for actually enjoying his job, at times to the point of being a pyromaniac. Ichiro "Harry" Tanaka Introduced in-Singapore Sling Killed in-Supercarrier Sabotage Hawaiian-born Tanaka is a pilot and undercover agent for the OSS. The son of Japanese immigrants, he is willing to give his life for a country that views him, like other Japanese-Americans, with suspicion. Jack "Gunny" Lauton Introduced in-Day of Infamy "Gunny" is an American Marine who works closely with Joe. Masataka Shima Introduced in-Singapore Sling, there is also a picture of him in the Baseball Stadium in Fall of the Philippines A high ranking Commander of the Japanese Imperial Navy. He is foreshadowed in the early missions, one of the player's objectives in "The Fall of the Philippines" mission is to recover a photo of this sinister villain. He is first seen in the flesh in the "Singapore Sling" mission. He speeds by in his staff car, almost killing the rickshaw escorting Joe and Tanaka to the hotel. He is later seen at the hotel addressing several German officers about the wealth that the Japanese Empire has discovered in eastern Asia. He rushes out of the room when Bromley drops in. He is next seen in the "Supercarrier Sabotage" interrogating the player. When Tanaka tries to free Joe, Shima holds him at sword point, and slits his throat. Shima is seen for the final time raising up on a platform to the upper deck with Joe's captured brother Donnie, "Say goodbye American fool. This is as close to your brother as you will ever be!" he shouts. He then escapes with Donnie in a plane and flies to a Japanese POW camp. Secondary Characters Kandler Introduced in-Singapore Sling A German officer headed to the meeting at the hotel in the "Singapore Sling" mission. Joe and Bromley sabotage his staff car when he drives by. Joe steals his uniform and infiltrates the Axis summit. While at the meeting, He barges in shouting that the player is an impostor, and that Joe has stolen his uniform. He manages to escape alive, despite Bromley shooting dead all the other German officers. He is neither seen or mentioned again in the game. Serguey Borov Introduced in-Singapore Sling A Soviet traitor to the Allies. He plans to replace Stalin and declare peace with Germany. He too manages to escape the hotel alive during the shootout in the "Singapore Sling" mission. He is neither seen or mentioned again in the game. Silas Whitfield Introduced in-Pearl Harbor An engineer in the Marine Corps. He manages to keep Joe's PT boat afloat in the "Pearl Harbor" level. PFC Spinelli Introduced in-Pearl Harbor Another fellow Marine. He operates the radio on the PT boat in the "Pearl Harbor" level. Martin Clemens Introduced in-Pistol Pete Showdown A real life Scottish guerrilla fighter, working with the Guad natives to rid the island of Guadalcanal of its Axis invaders, in the level "Pistol Pete Showdown." Raj Introduced in-In Search of Yamashita's gold This pilot of the Flying Tigers is shot down while flying over the temple in the "Yamashita's Gold" mission. Joe and his Australian Chindits try to save him at the crash site, but he has been captured by the Japanese by the time the player reaches the crash site. Tanaka meets the player at the crash site and follows him to the temple. Once in the lower levels of the temple, the player saves Raj, locates Bromley, and escape by helicopter. Reception Rising Sun mainly met mixed reviews. IGN gave the game a rating of 8/10, the same rating as its predecessor. The game also garnered an average rating of 68/100 from Metacritic, indicating mixed or average reviews. Gamespot rated the game a 6.4/10. The game was noted for poor artificial intelligence, linear level design, and some of its unnecessary plot elements. The PS2 version suffered from several ingame glitches and was one of the many reasons for lower ratings by gaming magazines such as EGM. Online Gameplay Use The PlayStation 2 version remains the only version Medal of Honor: Rising Sun has for online gameplay. Not the Xbox version. See Also *Walkthrough External links *Official site *Medal of Honor: Rising Sun on IMDb *[http://www.mobygames.com/game/medal-of-honor-rising-sun Medal of Honor: Rising Sun at Moby games] *IGN GC review *Planet Medal of Honor *Medal of Honor (Cheats) Category:Games Category:Medal of Honor: Rising Sun